German Chancellor, Angela Merkel has banned Nigerians from claiming asylum, branding them economic migrants who were not fleeing Boko Haram as they claimed, but looking for an ‘easier’ life.
So far this year more than 10,000 Nigerians have applied for asylum seeker status in Germany, and 13,000 have applied from Eritrea.
The country is the most sought-after destination for migrants, partly due to Mrs Merkel’s policy to open the borders to them.
But Mrs Merkel declared Germany is no longer able to grant Nigerians international protection.
Speaking after her tour of Mali, Niger and Ethiopia, the politician declared that Nigerians were coming to Germany not because they were fleeing militant group Boko Haram but because they want an easier life.
She said: “We presume that most of them came for economic reasons.”
This is in contrast to migrants from Iraq or Syria who are fleeing war and persecution in their homelands, notably from bloodthirsty regime ISIS.
She said not all Nigerians who claim to be fleeing Boko Haram are doing so, and are therefore ineligible for international protection under the conditions afforded to asylum seekers.
